The health and safety of Tasmanians remains our number one priority as we continue to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
In response to the escalating situation in Victoria, Tasmania’s Public Health Service has declared all of Victoria a high-risk area from 2pm today.
This means you now cannot travel to Tasmania if you have spent time in Victoria in the previous 14 days, unless you are approved as an Essential Traveller by the Deputy State Controller.
Current Tas e-Travel passes have been cancelled and anyone wanting to enter will need to reapply through the G2G system.
Tasmanian residents can apply for Essential Traveller status to return home but if approved, they will be required to quarantine at a suitable premises on arrival for 14 days.
If you don’t have a suitable premises you will be required to quarantine in Government-designated accommodation at your own cost.
I know this will be inconvenient and upsetting for many but the safety of all Tasmanians must come first, and as we have done from the start, we make no apologies for going hard to lessen the risk of an outbreak occurring in Tasmania.
Those who arrived before 2pm today have been allowed to enter Tasmania provided they have not been in the Whittlesea local government area or any of the declared high-risk premises in Victoria.
For anyone who has been in Victoria, please monitor your health and keep checking the list of high-risk premises at www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au, as more sites will be added as cases are discovered and contact tracing continues .
If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, even mild, please isolate immediately and book a test through the Public Health Hotline.
Demand on the public health hotline has increased in recent days as the situation has developed, so I again ask to please be patient and if you cannot hold, then call back again later. I want to reassure people that we are prepared to respond to the increasing volume that we anticipate.
This is another important reminder that the pandemic is not over, and again demonstrates the importance of maintaining COVID-Safe hygiene practices and getting vaccinated when it is your turn to do so.